AN: Time for a real substancy chapter here lol! :D And yeah I may or may not have made up the word substancy. xD Lots of good stuff in here I am soooo excited to finally get to write/show off! I won't spoil you beforehand lol, soooo just read it! :P And ENJOY! Also can't waiiiit for neeext chaaapppteeeeer either! The one we've all been waiting for lol! ;)
End of AN!
"Okay, this world's going to be a major pain in my ass."
"Huh? Come on, it looks really awesome!" Sora countered, an excited grin on his face.
"Yeah - it's a pretty cool place. I've never seen a world like it before!" Ven agreed, with a nearly identical grin on his face too.
Elrena gazed at the pair of boys. She blanched and turned away, sticking her nose up. "Ugh - spare me, please. I'm serious. Feel free to run off and save this one on your own; I'll be staying right here, thanks!"
"What's wrong?" Kairi asked.
Elrena glanced at her. She did a double-take, her lips parting. Then she sighed, shaking her head. "That's...none of your business."
"If you told us, we might be able to-" Terra began.
"It is also not up for debate," Elrena said harshly, glaring at him. "I'm not putting myself through- forget it!"
"Okay," Terra said simply, nodding. "It would be smart to leave someone behind to watch the ship - and we'd trust you to be the one to do that for us."
"Ugh - don't patronize me," Elrena groaned.
"I wasn't," Terra assured. "I meant it."
"Well...w-whatever! Glad that's sorted out!" Elrena went on quickly, avoiding his gaze.
Kairi frowned, but she didn't press Elrena on whatever was bothering her. Instead, she turned away to look out over the side of the Pestilence, onto the sprawling city below.
It was bright, glossy - and full of some of the tallest buildings Kairi had ever seen. They beat anything on any previous world she'd been to so far. Giant, towering...towers, of glass and metal were front and center. There were people in the streets, crowding it. And there were vehicles moving all over, too, fast as could be. Stretching out behind them on the large island were hundreds of little houses and curving streets! There was a huge, red bridge over water, between the city of glass towers, and a large, hilly landmass. There was also another one, a blue bridge, on the other end of the city. And in the skies, all over the city, there were these big blimps tethered by cables or ropes. Kairi couldn't have even guessed what they were for.
All in all, though, one thing was pretty clear to her: this was a highly technologically advanced world. More so than the islands, more than Twlight Town, even. And probably more than her world of origin, Radiant Garden, she mused...
Aqua circled the ship around the the city, before finally releasing the wheel and all but throwing up her hands. "There's no way to approach this without being spotted," she sighed, shaking her head. "Are we sure this world's Keyhole is in this city?"
Kairi nodded, apologetic. "Sorry - but, yes. It's definitely somewhere down there."
"Are you sure we have to find it? I mean, this world doesn't seem like it's in any danger," Sora said.
"Agreed," Aqua said. "But, we should be making sure to seal Keyholes on all the worlds we visit as a matter of course; it could protect them from the Heartless later, should they come here looking to try and do their worst."
"Hey - sooo, Lauriam -" Sora spoke again, giving the man a grin as he put hands behind his head. "when we find it do you want to do the honors? It's been a long time since you did anything like this, right? It might be helpful to you - to get you back into the swing of things!"
Lauriam blinked at Sora in surprise. Then he smiled, looking almost touched. He glanced down at himself, raising a hand, palm up. He curled his fingers, summoning his Keyblade again - the Divine Rose, as he'd named it. He was quiet a moment before giving a nod. "Yes, I believe that would be...very helpful. The chance to do real good for a world in danger from the darkness - a chance to save it...Yes, I'd like to be the one to do that here. If...no one has any objections," he spoke on, hesitant, glancing at Aqua and Terra.
Aqua gave a small, surprising smile of her own. Encouraging. "No objections."
"None here, either," Terra shrugged. "Good idea, Sora. That was thoughtful of you."
"Hehe...thanks..." Sora flushed, rubbing his neck. But he beamed at the praise.
Kairi watched him with a smile of her own. Maybe a little too closely!
"Uhhh...Kairi? You okay there?" Sora asked.
Kairi startled. She blushed and looked away quickly. "Fine...!" She seized onto her hat's brim and yanked it down over her eyes, crossing her free arm over her body.
"So how're we getting down there?" Ven asked Aqua.
Aqua gazed at him, a hint of humor glinting in her eyes. "I have one idea...You might not like it too much."
Kairi made sure to remove her hat before jumping off the ship, beginning her long, long fall to the ocean waters below.
She used magic just before impact to slow herself down and cocoon herself, ensuring she entered the water without serious injury - or falling into total unconsciousness.
She gasped as the cold water wrapped around her!
But then she grinned, as she began to swim her way toward the city. She was able to empower herself with magic, propelling herself faster and faster, like a human torpedo! She cut through like a shark! Within short order, she emerged again right near some of the city's docks. She climbed up onto the concrete dock, quickly moving to put herself against the side of a long, large wharf (a building for ships to load, unload and store cargo).
A few moments later and Sora emerged from the water too, followed by Ven, then Aqua, and lastly, Terra.
And a few moments after that, a dark portal appeared beside the building, hidden from sight of any city residents, through which Lauriam and Riku emerged. Simple, easy - and not soaking wet.
"You guys missed out on the fun," Sora said instantly, grinning at them.
"Heh." Lauriam gave an indulgent chuckle, but shook his head. "If I recall anything, it's that I was never much for swimming."
"How about you, Riku?" Kairi said, grinning the same as Sora. "Want us to give you a little push?"
"No!" Riku said instantly, on guard. "Whoever tries that is getting a punch to the face."
"Hey, no one is actually going to do that to you," Terra assured him - casting a warning look Kairi and Sora's way.
"That's right: we're here for a reason - we need to stay focused," Aqua reminded. She casually raised a hand, sending a powerful swirl of hot air around them all to dry them off.
Kairi nodded, growing serious again. She shut her eyes and tried to reach out with her senses, her powers, searching for that Keyhole...
After a minute she opened them again, and started off down the dock toward the city's edge, letting her feelings guide her.
This city really was amazing - they had learned it was called San Fransokyo.
But, amazing as it was, it was also distracting. It was just so busy, bustling and noisy...
Kairi was missing the islands hard now; she missed how peaceful and quiet it always was there. Even the inland cities back on Destiny Islands were far less crowded and loud than this place was.
But she pushed that feeling aside and did her best to keep focused on the task at hand: finding the Keyhole.
For the better part of an afternoon, they wandered the streets together.
There was no force on any world that could keep Sora from being distracted by all the marvels of this new world - to Master Aqua's increasing (and increasingly visible) irritation. More than once now she'd had to keep him from just running off to investigate something or other, or dip into a shop, or...the list went on.
Kairi sympathized - but they did have something important to do. The exploration could come after, she told Sora, in a bid to get Master Aqua off his back so much. He frowned at her, but he nodded, and from then on he seemed to be a lot better about staying on track. Kairi felt relief (probably not as much as their Master did, though).
As dusk fell on this world, ornage shimmering light reflecting off these tall buildings...Kairi stopped at mouth of a deep alleyway.
She turned, tilting her head and letting out a breath as she gazed down it. Then she began to walk forward, until she stopped in the middle of it. She turned toward the wall, the very base of one of these great, tall towers. There were images here, drawings - some painted on, some etched into the concrete itself. Some looked to have been made with chalk. There were names, too. Names and dates. Little messages left behind...
Kairi raised her hand to the wall, running her fingers across it all. Messages, names, drawings, all...
She smiled, and her hand stopped on a depiction of a familiar object.
Anyone else would have thought it was a mere key - but she knew better.
It was the little chain on the end that gave it away.
It was, in fact, a drawing of a Keyblade.
Kairi closed her eyes, pressing her palm to that image...and then a light began to glow in the dark. She opened them again, seeing a swirling Keyhole beginning to grow.
A gust of wind grew as well, kicking up dust and sending little bits of garbage up and down the alley.
Kairi stepped back, turning to look at Lauriam.
He moved slowly, hesitantly, staring at the Keyhole with undisguised wonder. He raised his hand, conjuring his Keyblade. His free hand went to his chest, and he aimed his blade out at the Keyhole. Light formed on the end, and a beam of energy shot out to enter the Keyhole. The Keyhole glowed brightly, and then it was done. It was locked. Sealed.
Safe.
Kairi beamed at Lauriam as the Keyhole dimmed and vanished. "How'd that feel?" she asked. "Good, right?"
He looked over at her, his mouth open. His eyes glistening. He slowly lowered his arm, letting his weapon disappear. Then, he gave a full-brimmed smile and a nod. "It felt like one of the best things I've done in a very...very long time..." he said quietly, full of emotion. "This world...won't have to suffer how ours did. The people of this world...won't have to lose...as I did."
Ven shifted uncomfortably, looking down at the ground, his fists clenching at his sides.
"You did good," Aqua told Lauriam, with a smile of warmth. A rare one, for her. "And you'll keep doing good, on so many other worlds now."
"Yes. Yes, I will," Lauriam agreed. "I would...certainly like to."
"Let's get going, then," Terra spoke. "Back to the ship. We'll see what other worlds out there are in need of us next."
"Awww, but Kairi said we could explore after we sealed this Keyhole!" Sora exclaimed.
Aqua turned to him, raising an eyebrow - and looking to be smothering a full on grin. "Did she? Hmmm. I must have missed the part where Kairi became the Master in this relationship."
"C'mon, Aqua - we could all use a break!" Ven put in quickly. "If things are good here now, what's the rush?"
"Oh, Ven...how can I refuse you when you look at me like that?" Aqua feinged a sigh, shaking her head.
"Look at you like what?" Ven said, confused.
"With big, puppy blue eyes," Terra said, stepping over to ruffle Ven's hair, grinning widely. "You come by them naturally, didn't you know?"
"Hey! No team-ups," Ven pouted. "Totally unfair..."
"I suppose we could spare another half an hour," Aqua said seriously. "We are already here, after all."
"YES!" Sora hissed in triumph. "Thank you!"
Sora immediately took off down the alley, outpacing all of them! He burst into the sun and the street again, looking this way and that in pure eagerness...but then he suddenly froze, his arms falling to his sides.
"Sora?" Kairi called out, hurrying toward him. "What's wrong?"
The others moved quickly as well. When their group emerged from the alley, they turned to look where Sora was.
Kairi stared for a moment, half hoping it was some kind of stupid sun mirage...but she knew better.
Standing there on the pavement, facing them all, was Ansem - Xehanort's Heartless, that was.
"Xehanort," Aqua hissed, stepping forward.
Terra grabbed her arm, shaking his head. He looked around them pointedly. Aqua did too, realizing just how many innocent people were milling about, then she pressed her lips together and relaxed about...a single hair.
Kairi glanced around too, realizing how hard it would be to fight in this environment if it had to come to it. And, knowing Xehanort, it would...
He would force it. Because he didn't care...
The kind of destruction and harm that could be done in a place like this...
"What do you want this time? Were you missing your annual butt-whooping?" Kairi taunted the man, for lack of anything else able to be done at the moment.
Ansem seemed unfazed by the insult. He simply smirked at her. "Is that any way to speak to me...after I've come all this way to reunite you with an old friend?"
"What are you talking about?"" Kairi said, confused. And wary now.
In answer, Ansem raised a hand, and snapped his fingers. Loud, clear, and sharp, even in this busy, noisy environment.
For a second, nothing happened. But then...a massive Heartless began to materialize from darkness, like wires and lines that began to fill out and grow to form a solid mass...coalescing into a familiar, gargantuan shape...
An ever-growing form of an armored, jet-black scorpion monstrosity.
"N-no. Merron..." Kairi gasped. But hadn't they all defeated her back at Radiant Garden? Hadn't that woman who had appeared with the angel's wings...destroyed this Heartless?
The ensuing panic of the crowds around them snapped Kairi out of her reverie of horror. People were fleeing, as fast as they could - cars were turning right around and going back the other way. Which was good. But Merron...she was continuing to grow, and even these wide streets couldn't hope to hold her...
Her shape was becoming more and more defined, armor materializing, claws and teeth and mandibles and a pair of massive, glowing yellow eyes in a swirl of darkness...
"You know this - Heartless...?" Terra said to Kairi, his voice...full of overwhelming tension and uncertainty in that moment.
"We fought her back at Radiant Garden - we defeated her...with...a lot of help," Kairi breathed. "It took everyone, everything - and then some. An extremely powerful mage...but I don't think we're going to get her help this time."
"Now that the two of you have been reunited, I will leave you to...catch up," Ansem called out with sheer, sadistic glee, and he vanished away in a shroud of darkness.
Kairi stood there, staring up at her. At Merron. This girl, this Heartless...as she now began to squeeze up against the buildings on either side of her. As glass shattered, metal creaked...
"H-hey, if anything, she's going to be squished here pretty good, right?" Sora said suddenly. "She won't be able to do much, or go anywhere! That means we have the advantage! Right...?"
Aqua nodded, quickly turning away and scanning the end of the street. She watched the last remaining people flee into the intersection. Then she raised her hand, and a massive, high blue barrier wall appeared to seal off that end of the street. "I'll need to get around it to block off the other side too!" she told them all, her jaw set with determination. "Ven, Sora, come with me! Lauriam, Kairi and Terra, you three stay here and distract it from the front!" She paused, glancing up along the sides of the high towering buildings. "Don't be afraid to get a height advantage - attack it from above, keep at a distance," she added quickly, before racing forward and leaping high into the air. She jumped again off of a magical pane of energy, and then darted forward into a furious glide that took her far over the top of Merron's vast body.
A body that was now almost fully formed...
Kairi watched Sora and Ven both leap up high into the air and begin gliding after Aqua.
"My first test arrives, then..." Lauriam murmured, staring up at Merron with something like awe. It couldn't be helped, with a Heartless of her size. He clenched his fist and then summoned his Keyblade in a flash of rose petals. "I will not fail!"
This Heartless was too big. Too powerful. Unbeatable, Lauriam thought.
None of their attacks were so much as scratching it so far. Or, if they were, they didn't last long.
This Heartless...something about it was different.
Something dangerous.
It was a sense, a feeling.
That danger expressed itself when the Heartless batted him away, and then looked directly at him - and raised its limb for a crushing strike down on him. Deliberate, purposeful!
It was...
Thinking?
It was...
Lauriam raised his Keyblade, screaming out as he prepared to meet the monster's blow!
If he was to die here, if he was to fall, he'd do it knowing he'd given every last breath in his body to the defense of this world and its people! He would honor the memories of the person he was - the kind of person his little sister had known him to be - to the very end!
He bowed his head and shut his eyes as the massive limb came down on him, casting a shadow and blocking out the fading sun.
But nothing ever touched his Keyblade. Nothing came crashing down on his body to squash him flat into this pavement...
Lauriam heard several voices gasp around him. He opened his eyes in confusion, and stared up at the sight overhead.
There was an absolutely massive version of his scythe held under the Heartless's claw, blocking the blow - holding it back.
Two, long, slender arms in loose silver sleeves were holding onto that weapon...holding it there...
Lauriam slowly turned around, and gasped at the sight that met him.
A towering, female figure in a silver cloak stood there in the street, adorned with four wings, several long, rope-like ribbons ending in arrowheads that hung down...two of which had a pink and orange color scheme. Those two came from her head, like long strands of hair. Her face...she had pale yellow eyes. And the hood of her cloak...looked like a pink skull. A face of death. An angel...of death...
It truly was massive: it had to be thirty feet tall - maybe a little more, were it standing completely upright.
What...on earth was this? A Nobody, or a mere construct...? But who had created it, or summoned it, either way?
Why was it- why had she-
Lauriam felt his Heart constrict.
Those pale yellow eyes blinked...and that head turned to gaze down at him. Directly.
In a field of flowers, overlooking a town of purple roofed buildings surrounding a large clocktower...
Lauriam lay on the ground, relaxing and enjoying the sun and fresh air. The smells in his nose.
He sat up again when she arrived: his little sister.
She was well and truly worried about not being able to keep up. He'd already collected his Lux for the day, but she told him that she'd spent all day getting chased around by the Heartless...
"You know your magic is stronger than mine," Lauriam told her, looking over at her as she sat with him. "Stay calm and focused, and you'll be done in no time."
"I know...but it's hard," she complained. "Can't we pair up? You take the front, I'll take the back?"
"We could," Lauriam considered. Considered how best to tell her... "But that won't help you in the long run. Maybe when you get strong enough to protect me. Then we'll pair up, and you can carry me through battle..."
Lauriam suddenly returned to the present, out of that long-lost memory.
And he knew...in his Heart.
"Strelitzia..." he breathed. Somehow, a small grin came over his face just then. "I'll take the front, and you can take the back."
The Angel nodded, and then with a mighty heave and an eruption of wind and force and thousands of flower petals, she threw off the giant Heartless's limb. She raised the scythe high, and then brought it slamming down onto the Heartless's skull with a burning pink energy.
Lauriam darted forward, shrouding his weapon in that same energy, and then he leapt up with a twirl, uppercutting the Heartless and flipping over its head. He came down to stand atop the scythe, poised there. His grin turned fierce, and he raised a hand and gathered a power in his palm. A wispy, dark kind of power. He thrust his palm down and unleashed it quickly; it rippled across the Heartless's body, and then seeped into it. Purple energy oozed from it, lightning crackling here and there...and then, after several seconds, the effects came.
The Heartless suddenly shuddered and roared as purple energy exploded out of it, tearing through it, and swirling all around it. The energy coalesced at several points on the ground around the Heartless, creating large, deep pools of intense darkness. Vortexes, that shredded away at the monster's legs. They exerted a massive pulling force that caused the Heartless to go prone, slamming flat onto its stomach.
Lauriam backflipped off the giant scythe and sailed through the air, twisting, coming to land right on the shoulder of the massive Angel herself. He gave her a nod, wordless. She tore her weapon free, raising it again, pouring even more energy into it than the last strike. Putting all she had into this one. Furious winds gusted up, almost blowing Lauriam away himself! Tendrils of Nothingness crawled across the scythe, surrounding it...and then she brought it down once again on the Heartless's head.
The Heartless let out a screech, then it suddenly whipped up an open claw, and a massive beam of energy almost as wide as the street itself erupted - right into the chest of the Angel.
Lauriam yelled out, animal, incoherent, and he made to dart forward with weapon raised-
But several of those lengthy ropes hanging from her body rose up to ensnare him - holding him back.
"What are you-" Lauriam gasped.
The Angel turned her head, and then those ropes whipped Lauriam up into the air and hurled him down the street - just as the energy beam punched through her body, and obliterated her.
The massive scythe hit the street with a resounding clang, and she evaporated...into nothingness.
And then the weapon was gone too.
She was gone...
She was gone...
She was gone again!
He had failed to protect her again.
Even in spirit, or whatever this may have been - the fact remained!
Was he always going to fail her?
Was he merely-
"Lauriam!"
Lauriam startled, twisting in the air and stabbing his Keyblade into the side of the towering building. He found Kairi flying toward him - flying unaided, in that way she had of it (that he'd not asked her about yet, he realized). "Yes?" he said, trying to regather himself.
"You- she- that did a lot of damage," Kairi informed him. "I'm going to charge up for a big hit of my own - but I need time, and some cover."
Lauriam nodded. Then he paused, glancing skyward. "Why not fly to the very top of this building, and wait until you're ready?"
She looked up too, then she grinned. "Smart idea! Thanks. Just keep her distracted for me, then. And try not to die, please!"
Lauriam watched her ascend, skimming the side of the building. "I'll do my best," he said quietly, before turning away and tearing his weapon free, and launching himself back down at the Heartless.
Terra raised his Keyblade to block the incoming swing of a massive, segmented tail whose end tripped with purple poison. A poison that was so deadly it was more like a form of acid, to be honest. Every drip of it melted into the ground itself, creating a sizable hole.
He shored up his body with magic, and then he yelled out and shoved out, exerting all that power into his motion, sending that giant tail flying up to crash against the side of the building.
He felt a pang of regret at the sight. This wasn't an ideal place for this sort of battle. A battle on a scale he'd never even imagined before...
But at least the people were out of the way.
It would, hopefully, only be property damages when this was over.
Terra watched Ven, Sora and Aqua slashing at the Heartless's legs as they darted around beneath its massive form. He saw Riku, over to the right, hitting the Heartless with repetitive barrages of Dark Firagas, as well as sending out volleys of dark swords that exploded on impact.
He glanced up to where Kairi had disappeared to - onto a very, very high rooftop. He couldn't even see her anymore.
Whatever she was doing, he hoped it would get them that much closer to ending this - like whatever Lauriam had done over in front of the Heartless. That giant, cloaked woman with a massive scythe...who had gotten in two extremely powerful strikes before being destroyed.
In the meantime...Terra had to do his part. Had to do everything in his power...to end this quickly.
To that end...
Terra breathed, centered himself, and reached into the depths of his Heart for the darkness within.
He called that power up to the surface...and then more...and more...
He pulled it all up, letting it exude from his very skin, surrounding him in an aura...
He breathed in and out again, and then he clenched a fist and ran for the Heartless.
Terra leapt and slashed at it with all his might, carving a deep, purple gash into its tail. He ducked and rolled as it swiped for him horizontally. He came up again and slashed again; it swung back the other way, and he leapt up high to sail over it. He came down and turned, ready and waiting. He drew back his hand, focusing his mind and the darkness, and he erupted with that darkness. Dozens, hundreds of powerful, burning projectiles of darkness exploded out of his body, flying in all directions - and then curving around to pelt the Heartless's body all over.
He continued to draw on his darkness, continued to output it - continued to flood the world with a hailstorm of dark comets.
More and more...and more...
Until he let out a great gasp, and the darkness died. Fire reduced to struggling embers.
He was sweating, heaving, his muscles were twitching and trembling...
The Heartless's tail came for him again, and this time, Terra wasn't quick enough.
It struck him, picking him up wholesale and slamming him against the side of the building.
Crushing him.
The tail pulled away, and Terra fell forward onto the street with an agonized, wracking breath.
He was on his knees, clutching at his chest...
Crackles of dark lightning flickered across his body...
"Agh...ugh..." Terra gasped, his fingers curling and spasming.
I guess I overdid it...on that one, he thought wryly. Probably wasn't a smart move, considering the length of this fight. And he'd told Kairi her major issue was her stamina and endurance...
Here he was, a Master, being reckless and neglecting his own. And he'd paid for it.
He was lucky no one else had.
"TERRA! Are you okay?" Aqua's voice. Aqua, rushing out from beneath the Heartless, right to his side. She looked incredibly worried - and disapproving. Incredibly so. "What were you thinking?"
"Something I'd admonish my own apprentices for," Terra said weakly, giving a pained grin.
Aqua glared as much as frowned, but raised her hand to cast a powerful Healing spell.
Terra gasped with relief, rising to his feet again. He glanced down at his hands as the trembling stopped. "Thanks."
"Be a little more mindful," Aqua told him, before turning away and darting off to begin attacking the Heartless again.
"Got it," Terra said after her. But she didn't hear him. Or, if she had, she wasn't going to show it.
Suddenly, the Heartless let out a massive roar, and then it began to thrash. It slammed left, then right, it tore its claws back as it began to back up - shearing away at the buildings, ripping through metal and glass and concrete-
Terra backed up quickly himself. But he quickly found himself striking Aqua's barrier.
He doubted that barrier would hold up against this Heartless's focused strikes - attempts to get free of this confinement. Not for very long, anyways.
The Heartless continued backpedaling, until it physically met with the barrier. Then, it rushed forward far faster than something of its incredible size should have been able to; it tore back through the buildings, and it smashed right through Aqua's barrier on the other end of the street.
It spilled out into the intersection, surrounded by an open plaza - a much wider space now.
A space where it could bring its weapons to bear properly.
The Heartless immediately turned around and did just that, opening its claws and charging up two huge beams of energy.
The energy beams lanced out, tearing deep gouges in the streets and blasting holes through the buildings without care. Just...carving into them.
If it was allowed to keep this up, with this freedom-
Terra growled and ran forward, moving with the others to surround the Heartless. To keep its attention on them, at least!
He ran around its body to the front of it, and he planted himself there firmly.
He breathed, and reached again for the darkness.
It was there, but weaker, fainter.
He called on his emotions, rage, hate, even righteous fury to stoke the fires - to grow it bright again.
He pulled it up again as it grew and grew anew.
He surrounded himself in its power, even his Keyblade.
He let it pool around his feet...
And then he drew back his free hand, forming a fist.
A massive, dark fist materialized in front of his actual hand, a concentrated, supremely powerful coalescence of dark power.
Terra ran forward and jumped into the air, letting out a scream as he punched at the giant Heartless.
His massive, dark fist surged forward and caught the Heartless in the face. Dark energy and sheer pressure flew out in a backdraft, unfortunately doing more property damage (severely). But the giant Heartless...was blown backwards, lifting up off its front limbs, raising into the air. It scrambled at nothing, flailing, and then it fell sideways and crashed to the ground with such a weight that it shook the entire area.
Aqua stood nearby, glowering at him in disbelief. Then she shook her head, and thrust her Keyblade - the Master's Keyblade - forward viciously. Orange light burst, and magical, enchanted chains erupted from its end. They flew out like raging serpents, dozens of them, laying themselves over the Heartless's body, pinning it to the ground. Others encircled its two claws, binding them shut tight. The remaining chains wrapped around its tail and bound it flat to its body, unable to move. Aqua breathed, and then she raised a hand to her chest...and darkness began to shimmer across her form.
Terra watched her, tense as could be now. More than a fight, more than these stakes. Because the stakes of this if Aqua didn't...
The darkness covered Aqua, and when it retreated, she had the appearance of before - when they'd saved Nysa...and when she'd attacked Kairi and Riku...
That dark version of her outfit, that white hair tinged with light blue...those yellow eyes...
Aqua bent her knees and flew up into the air, soaring high...higher still...
She halted in the air, hovering there, darkness eminating from her.
The darkness casting off of her flickered and swirled, and suddenly there were a half dozen copies of her hanging in the air with her. Aqua burst with a blue glow, and a huge, spikey dark crystal appeared beneath her feet - bigger than her own body - along with a half dozen others beneath her clones. The six Aquas kicked the huge dark crystals down at the giant Heartless. The crystals homed in on its face, slamming into it one after another, shattering and exploding on impact. The dark shards that remained sunk into the Heartless's very body, and then the great monster spasmed as miniature explosions began going off inside its body.
Aqua descended, landing on the ground again daintily. She turned to look at Terra, a smirk on her face that was both triumphant and...almost taunting. But then the look was gone, as the darkness evaporated, returning her to normal.
"Okay, I think she kind of just beat your whole dark fist thing!" Ven called out to Terra.
"Yeah - that was just awesome!" Sora exclaimed. "I can't believe she just-"
"Stay focused!" Aqua snapped, giving her weapon a quick slash at her side.
"Uh- y-yeah, right, s-sorry, Master!" Sora said quickly.
"Everyone, press the attack while we can!" Terra shouted out, moving to follow his own words.
The battle continued, but the Heartless seemed far from finished. Far too soon, it broke free of Aqua's chains, righting itself and resuming the fight.
It was exhausting, never-ending, it seemed like.
Terra was even starting to think there wasn't any beating this thing. But it had been beaten before, he told himself firmly. It could be beaten again.
Anything else wasn't an option.
But...
They were all tiring, they were all slowing down. They were all taking damage - and having to use Cures to rectify it all.
And that only depleted their magical reservoirs.
It wasn't an infinite well, even if his own and Aqua's in particular were much greater than that of the apprentices.
Terra dodged a quick lancing energy beam, then jumped up to attack the Heartless again. It raised a massive claw at him, opening and closing the powerful limb. Terra twisted and aborted his attack just in time, sliding underneath it and rolling on the ground under its massive body.
He ran at and slashed one of its limbs as he threw himself back into the open again.
Terra heaved a breath and wiped his forehead as he surveyed the battlefield.
That was when he realized he hadn't seen Kairi in...minutes now. Too many minutes.
Where-
He turned toward the damaged skyscrapers, and in that exact moment, an incredibly powerful light flared to life at the top of the tower.
A pulsing, burning golden light - a sphere of pure...Light energy. It grew rapidly, swelling, castings its light onto the world in the fading dusk, overpowering every other light source in this area of the city. The sphere of light rose up into the air as it continued to expand - becoming as large as the giant Heartless itself...
The massive sphere hung there in the air, in the sky, pulsing, casting off hot waves and gusting winds. Then, it suddenly contracted in on itself, sucked into the center, forming something like a vortex - or a black hole - except that it was a black hole of light rather than darkness. It was a burning white vortex, swirling around itself. From the very center of that vortex...a huge beam of light exploded out of it, shooting down across the city in the blink of an eye, and slamming right into the Heartless.
One shot. One blast. One...two...seconds. And then it was gone.
The beam. The vortex. The sphere.
It all just faded away in a flash, a blink of an eye and a brief flare of yellow.
The world was darkening again.
And a lone, familiar figure shrouded in a pinkish glow was falling from the top of the building - leaving behind a trail of orange particles of light.
A sight Terra had seen once before.
NO!
Terra ran-
Aqua flew forward across the ground in a furious dash, levitating off the ground.
Sora soared high into the air, reaching out for Kairi from afar.
But it was Riku who got there first.
Riku, who suddenly materialized out of thin air, far up in the sky, at just the right moment to catch Kairi in his arms - and then the both of them flickered out of existence, reappearing safely on the ground again.
Aqua pulled up short, turning back as the Heartless lunged forward to pursue them all.
Terra turned back as well, realizing the mistake.
They ran back toward the Heartless to engage it again, along with Ven and Lauriam.
But Kairi...
Terra glanced back at her, only to see Riku creating a dark portal. He watched Sora and Riku carry Kairi through it together, disappearing.
Hopefully, they were taking her back to the ship - or, even better, back to Traverse Town.
Hopefully Kairi wouldn't...
No, she was strong. Incredibly strong. She'd pull through. She'd made it through so much already.
She was truly...the Light of the World.
Nothing could extinguish her light. Her burning passions.
Now, Terra and the others, who were still trying to wrangle this giant Heartless - a Heartless that was now twitching and giving off tendrils of wispy darkness...
It was weakening. It was reaching its limits.
But so were they.
Mana was running low; soon they wouldn't be able to heal much more, if anything...
Terra took a bad splash of that burning poison on his left arm, as that tail swung overhead to shoot it out at him in a stream. He barely moved in time. And still...
The pain was excruciating.
He grasped his arm and nearly dropped his Keyblade.
He leaped back twice, getting out of range again.
He had to...he had to...
They had to...
A blue light suddenly streaked across the sky - and then came down in a chaotic zigzag, slamming into the Heartless's head.
The Heartless smashed its face into the ground, shattering it.
Two unfamiliar figures burst out of a glowing light, falling on either side of the Heartless. A duck person...and a...dog person? The duck person had a wizard's staff, and the dog man had a shield in hand.
A third figure came flipping down to land directly in front of the giant Heartless - with a Keyblade raised high. A small person, with big round ears and a tail. A mouse?
Why did he look so familiar to Terra...?
"Mickey?!" Ven exclaimed with pure joy.
Mickey startled, turning to face Ven. He stared with huge eyes, a huge smile growing on his face. "VEN! Gosh, Aqua, ya found him?!" He turned to Terra, next, and he tensed. "Is that-"
"He's not Xehanort!" Ven called out quickly, looking panicked. "It's Terra! It's sorta a long story, so-"
"We'll fill them in later!" Aqua cut across, flipping into a flying cartwheel over a swing of the Heartless's claws. "Right now, we need to bring this monster down!"
"Right!" Mickey agreed firmly. "I can see it's already caused all kinds o' trouble! Donald, Goofy, get ready to hit it with everything you fellas have got! Everybody!" he added, looking around. His gaze found Lauriam, and widened a moment. But then he looked at the Keyblade, and he relaxed again.
"Will do!" Ven said, determined, as he fell back into his combat stance.
"Ready when you are!" Aqua told Mickey.
Mickey raised his Keyblade to the sky again, and cried out with: "STOPZA!"
An absolutely massive sphere of swirling blue energy erupted from where Mickey stood, growing to envelope the giant Heartless in its entirety! Images of clocks spun and shimmered across the magical dome's surface. And within it, the Heartless was frozen now. Completely!
Terra stared in sheer awe.
That kind of power...
It was incredible!
But they had a chance now, so he couldn't waste it!
Terra set his jaw and ran forward into the energy dome with the others.
He aimed his Keyblade out and called on all the power he had left, focusing a beam of intense light energy onto the Heartless.
Ven did the same, and so did Aqua.
Lauriam stared at them, as if uncertain of how to even do that himself...but then he raised his Keyblade, and a beam of light shot out just the same.
Donald jumped up into the air, surrounded by a red glow, yelling out, "FLARE FORCE!"
Dozens upon dozens of...fireworks suddenly manifested out of thin air, all around the giant Heartless, and they promptly began to assault it in an explosive barrage from all directions. More and more kept materializing, keeping up a steady stream of intensely powerful magical attacks!
Goofy drew back his arm and wound up, then tossed his shield out as it glowed with light. The shield flew beneath the Heartless, and then began ricocheting off of its legs, bouncing from one to the other, again and again, chaotic!
Mickey stood front and center, still, and he aimed his Keyblade out like the rest of them. But from his Keyblade came a positively mighty stream of light energy, blasting the Heartless in the face!
Their combined attacks assailed the giant Heartless until the Stop spell of Mickey's began to dissipate...
And then the Heartless collapsed, the light beams piercing its body and flying out the other sides, and it began to disappear into black smoke.
It was finished.
Defeated.
They'd done it.
Terra sagged with relief - and exhaustion.
They regathered in the middle of the plaza - and then Terra realized they were still very much in the middle of a populated area.
"We should get back to the ship," Terra said quickly.
"Kairi!" Aqua exclaimed, concern filling her face now in full. "Let's go!"
Kairi opened her eyes with supreme effort.
She immediately recognized her surroundings.
The captain's cabin of the Pestilence.
She was laying in that nice bed by the windows.
She blinked and turned her head. Well...more like just sort of...let it fall over.
She couldn't...
"So-ra..." she tried to say. It barely came out. Barely a whisper.
But-
"Kairi! You're awake again!" Sora was there by her side, dropping to his knees on the floor of the cabin. He gripped the side of the bed anxiously, staring at her. "How're you feeling?"
Kairi blinked again. She tried to shrug. Her shoulders barely twitched. Just...tiny little movements. "Feel...ca-an't..."
"Riku and I have been casting Cures on you as much as we can, but we didn't think it was doing any good..." Sora went on quickly.
"Riku...?" Kairi looked around the room with her eyes alone. Oh...there he was...
Standing away. Apart. Looking all...worried and stuff...But also like he was scared...
Scaredy-cat...
"Where's...others?" Kairi tried to ask.
"Uh...they'll probably be here soon!" Sora assured. "Yeah, bet they'll have beaten that Heartless in no time! You did some major damage to it with that attack of yours, you know! That was just- well...you probably shouldn't do it again, Kairi. I thought for a second there that you were..."
"O-oh..." Kairi managed to get out. "Sorry..."
"Don't apologize to anyone for this," came the unexpected voice of Elrena.
Kairi craned her neck, looking into the corner. Oh, there was Elrena. She was leaned up against the corner of the cabin, her hands clasped together at her waist. A look on her face that was just...totally worried...
"From the sounds of it, you kicked ass," Elrena went on...with a small smile. A real one. And a warm one. "Far more than these two runts did. Oh, boys...what are you going to do with them, am I right?" She laughed. "I mean shit, girl, I saw that homemade sun of yours from all the way out here! I half thought the world was ending because you guys had screwed everything up. But...nope, it was just you, being rad as hell."
Kairi tried to laugh, but it came out way too weak. Far, far too weak for her liking. She settled on a smile. "Thanks...El..."
"Okay, I hope that was just you struggling to talk, and not you giving me some sappy nickname..." Elrena muttered.
"What if...it- w-was...?" Kairi struggled through.
Elrena eyed her silently, her cheeks turning pink. "W-well...if it is - I suppose El is...not totally...horrible? Just don't you dare go calling me - eugh, Ellie - or some shit, you hear me?"
"Okay...El..."
"Right. You know what? Why don't you get some more rest before you strain yourself too hard," Elrena said, in a soft voice.
"Yeah...okay..." Kairi whispered.
She closed her eyes, relaxing back into the bed again.
Sleep sounded...so nice right about now...